Daily News - Tuesday 17 March 2015

It's a tale of two Sydney ­families — one that thrives on work and another yet to know the reward a permanent job brings.

Lethbridge Park grandmother Penny Sorrenson’s mum was on welfare, she is on welfare, and her daughter is on welfare. It is a “struggle” to make ends meet for the 42-year-old and her 20-year-old daughter Tori, who is raising her baby son with the help of taxpayers.

Tori is one of almost 40 per cent of children from jobless households who are on welfare by age 20. Ms Sorrenson receives $15,600 a year in taxpayer-funded benefits.

In neighbouring Shalvey the Vanoskas are intergenerational workers. Stephanie Vanoska, 23, works 40 hours a week at two jobs and earns up to $70,000.

Father Pierre "Jalapeno" Pepper donned the boxing gloves for the first time as part of his parish's fundraising Saint Patrick's Weekend Punch-Up, ahead of Ireland's national day for its patron saint.

The pugilistic priest, 37, became a national sensation after an online video taunting his opponent went viral, leading to a television appearance.

In the video, Father Pepper quoted from the Bible and warned parishioner Jared "The Artful Dodger" Madden, his opponent, of his impending doom while five other priests look on menacingly.

"The Lord says vengeance is mine ... say your prayers, because judging time is close at hand," his opponent is told.

Father Pepper said the boxing match had "taken a life of its own".

"From kids I visit in school to older people on sick calls, they're all behind it," he said.

Hundreds of locals in the small town of Banagher in County Offaly, on the banks of the River Shannon in central Ireland, packed into a marquee at the back of a pub Saturday night to see a number of locals fight, but the clash of priest versus parishioner was the main event for most.

The Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister has promised to boost the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the Federal Government employs, even if his new policies upset non-Indigenous Australians.

Northern Territory senator Nigel Scullion has also announced a new target for government contracts signed with Indigenous businesses, increasing the proportion from less than 1 per cent to 3 per cent by 2020.

"I think it is achievable, simply because we're doing nothing about it at the moment," Senator Scullion said.

However, he acknowledged the targets might upset some of those who are not Indigenous.

"But I think they've been given a pretty good run for a couple of hundred years and it's time for a bit of a change," Senator Scullion said.

"This is my job, I am a champion of Aboriginal and Islander people and their businesses and employment opportunities.

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Catholic Social Services Australia represents a national network of 52 Catholic social service organisations that provide direct support to hundreds of thousands of people in need each year on behalf of the Catholic Church. Our agencies provide a diverse range of support from assisting women and children escaping family violence, housing and homelessness support, to mental health and disability services. They also work in partnership with Indigenous people, and offer support and services to people seeking asylum and those who are refugees.